Chris_R

He just has to stay with us for the next 8-10 years and stay relatively fit, we don't need to be on any kind of trajectory. A fit Isak scores at least 20-25/season across all competitions. Shearer was 26 when he joined us IIRC. Isak's 24 now, and already has 35 goals for us. He's just got to stay, and stay fit. If we *do* go on the trajectory we hope (and expect?), Isak can absolutely demolish Shearer's record and put it beyond anyone for a very long time.

No, you're forgetting football was invented in 1992. You must be thinking of a different sport.

Blackburn started it, a little club buying itself a PL title. If it was OK then, it should be OK now. Nothing's changed except transfer fees and wages have gone up.

Says something that Newcastle have won a major trophy more recently than England. And we've been to a major final more recently too. Anyway, England football has always felt more like a London / Manchester / Liverpool thing than anything that I, as a Geordie could get behind with much vigour. At least since Shearer stopped playing, that is, though I accept that's largely because we've been shit since then. Having Trippier and Gordon there will definitely help and give me something I can latch on to. It's always felt hard to cheer on Kane, Rashford or whoever into winning more trophies, to becoming national idols that our players will never become, to be further celebrated by their own clubs. It's just a bit hollow to cheer people I'd normally want to fail. That said I obviously always get swept along with it and do want England to win, but I'd take Newcastle winning a solitary League Cup without hesitation, over a generation of repeated success and multiple trophies for England.

Shave (Shear?) his head and he looks uncannily like Alan Shearer.

I was very fast, quite tricky and could hit a shot. Poor in the air though and couldn't tackle for shit. I was also a 10 stone weakling. As such I played best as a winger or striker. I never tried Sunday League (well except once when I played emergency right-footed left back for some mates), preferring a lie in and a bit of relaxation so pretty-much stopped playing after my uni days. Certainly wasn't good enough for club trials or anything, but I was decent enough amongst school mates and for park kickarounds. Also used to enjoy playing in goal as I loved diving about and was pretty decent in nets, but was never tall enough to take it seriously. Closest I've got to a claim to footballing fame was our works team played a pre-season friendly against Blyth Spartans, away, and I came a whisker from opening the scoring from a corner. But they then thrashed us, think it was 5-0 or something like that with them literally walking round the pitch whilst we chased shadows. Proper men vs boys stuff, even at that lower league level. They basically stopped attacking at 5 after putting the game to bed, I guess they worried one of us might get angry and take one of them out? Not that we would. But they could have scored with every attack if they wanted to.

So the ready-made replacement for Isak is the man who Isak was bought to replace? Fucking genius. Who's his ready-made replacement for Bruno, Sean Longstaff? Seems pointless buying players really when you already have players.

Yeah I'm old enough to remember seeing Ball play and he was never more than a mediocre trier. Worked hard but was little more than competent. He was a poor man's Lee Clark, who despite being decent would be a ridiculous selection in any of our all-time XIs. They only rate him because he was good enough to play at their level but too shit to get a bigger move, which they confuse for loyalty because of their constant need to be loved and liked. Plus as a hard worker who used to put in a few tackles, that also taps into their psyche of judging everyone and everything in terms of how hard they are. This probably stems from them being measurably worse than us at everything for decades and so the concept of being 'hard' is firstly nebulous and unprovable so they can claim a prize that nobody can dispute, but secondly requires no actual on-pitch talent or any requirement for the fans to even turn up and pay to watch matches. He's perfect for them.

So players move/stay for money then, not Europe? So we're (Not you, people generally) getting our knickers in a knot about the wrong thing. Europe isn't the big thing people are painting it to be, at least not missing it for a season. If Bruno leaves, he may say "but I needed Europe", but what he'll really mean is "££££££££" because it's distasteful to say you've left for money but saying you left for European football is more palatable to everyone and makes you look like less of a mercenary cunt. It's the same for every player, ever. And quite rightly. We ordinary mortals move jobs for money too.

Whilst I agree, loads of fabulous players have a year or so out of Europe because their team doesn't qualify. Chelsea have some great players who've just spent a year out of Europe, nobody twisted and demanded a move. Happens every year that at least one big club underperforms (not saying we have, we're not at that level yet) and there's never a mass exodus that I can remember?

I guess the defence last year were playing *slightly* higher, and the goalkeeper a fraction higher too. But the midfield is no different, if anything LCM has dropped back. On reflection it may be enough to have made a difference in some matches.

Massive difference.

Yeah Bruno wanting to be an 8 isn't a help. We need to put a dedicated DM in there and unleash him. Pope in goal and faster DCs and we're absolutely golden IMO.

Nah, he's never scored against the mags.

Many, many years ago (like 25 years back at least) I swear I saw Brown Ale on tap somewhere. Anyone confirm that was a thing?

So you want us to breach FFP?

Does it matter? We've got to play everyone twice anyway, what does the order matter?

But they'd not have wanted him gone if City won? That makes no sense, as if getting "Europe" is the success barometer, and what we actually do in the season is otherwise irrelevant? Pillocks.

My confidence in him has not diminished by even 1% after this season. Obviously I'd have loved Europe, but at the start of the season I thought last year was an over-achievement given what he had at his disposal, and if we made 6th this year then considering that and the extra games, we'd have had just as good a campaign as last year. Sure nobody is perfect - I was as infuriated as anyone seeing Burn at DL week after week, and persisting with Dubravka after Pope returned has likely been costly. We all have our flaws. However we came within a whisker of the 6th place I'd have said was as good as last year's 4th and also finished above Man U for the first time in my life, got the 2 cup quarter finals, smashed PSG to give me one of the best nights I can remember, put the mackems back in their box on their own ground, scored more goals than we ever have before and did all that whilst coping with the worst injury crisis any club has had since Man U in 1958. There is nobody I'd rather have manage this club next season than Eddie Howe.

Struggling to see it as a wasted season when there's all those positives. By that metric, 99% of clubs waste 99% of their seasons. Dunno why anybody even turns up to watch football anymore.

If you've been sorting us for any length of time, then you're an actual, genuine idiot. If you've only just started supporting us, please don't.

I'd love him to stay, he's the best midfielder I've seen play for us and it's not even close. I suspect he's away though, just from all the rumoured incomings. We're apparently up against it FFP-wise, so if we're going on a spending spree then that's because there's someone going the other way.

That's amazing news, means he's here for life!

We can take Mainoo for free, since they think contracts don't mean anything.

£45m to Al Nassr?